


Kage. Taketai.

by NowWeOwnTheNight



Series: Haikyuu!! AUs [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, also tanaka is That Friend, underground volleyball ?, yeah thats basically all you need to know about this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 06:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7833991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NowWeOwnTheNight/pseuds/NowWeOwnTheNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[.. Tanaka this is the last time I ever let you near my things. -Daichi]</p><p>[bro ur a dense shit accept it and go fuk ur bf- tanaka ryuunosuke]</p><p>[LEAVE ME ALONE FOREVER PLEASE]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kage. Taketai.

**Author's Note:**

> in which everything is the same only Suga is a badass genius setter in the fucking fight club of volleyball and the whole kags/hina thing hasn’t happened/doesnt happen/doesnt exist (they play like badminton. or something)  
> I got this idea listening to Gold on the Ceiling and wrote it during a car ride so sorry if it’s shit !

:.:.:.:.;

 

A dark ceiling.

A roll of thunder.

A flash of lighting that lights up the bare room.

 

That’s how these nights always start.

 

Curled lips in the smuggest of smirks.

A bare huff of breath; fond for the night, for the choir of thunder and lightning, for the assuredly excellent game to follow.

At his ear, the mobile phone goes off with group texts.

_Second lot, be there in ten !!_

_I’m at hoshi’s with rin, it’d be easier to do north basketball park ?_

_U guys better not be drunk.. without me_

_wl bakaaaa i jst gues ur outa luck so fuck uuu_

_You are terrible at texting hoshi_

_iLLFI HBGHT U FUCK JUSYB U WATCH_

Slender, strong and sure fingers- at what time are they not, when he lives and breathes the role he plays -pick up the phone. They dance across the screen, never missing a key.

_How about that drain near Souske’s? There’s a big slab with two trees we can use._

Responses come flooding in:

_Good call, kags!_

_Got it !! fifteen for the guys at hoshis ! bring the net !_

_yaaaas !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! seeya ther gys !!!!!!!_

 

“We’ll have Kags setting for Hoshi’s team.”

“Souske, no fair! Kage is too good!! We’re screwed, for sure.” A shorter but indubitably older man groans. He cracks his knuckles one by one and snorts into the knitted scarf he’s got tightened over his mouth. The night sky is beginning to bear down with rain. He’s feeling the cold. Eyes, catlike and narrowed, scan the surroundings of the drain for onlookers. Tonight he can’t bring his A-game, due to a stress-induced sniffle and a head full of chemistry notes for an upcoming exam; or so he had been saying to one of his fellow players as they arrived.

“Tsukki’s gonna be with us so don’t worry, Neko! We have his height on our side!” Souske, a burly middle-aged man from a nearby neighborhood, tries to reassure his team with a peaceful smile that glints in the distant beams of the streetlights. Hardly embarrassed at his failed attempt of trying to wrangle said beyond-tall teenager into a one armed hug, the man continues to beam in a manner entirely unfitting to the atmosphere.

“That’s not what I’m worried about at all!”

“Huh?”

“Tsukki’s a scary-good spiker and blocker and all, but. _Kage_ is… He’s just a downright _monster_ , ey, Hoshi?”

“Eh, for a _newbie,_ you’re ok _ayyy_!” Hoshi- a tall man with a low hanging hood that hides his nose and eyes –mocks the younger setter; deepening his voice, contorting what’s visible of his expression into a snarl akin to the rabid dogs one would find if they crossed the mountains after sunset.

The so-called ‘shadow setter’, Kage, sneers right back at the far larger boy- a reply that very few others dare to try against the highly-strung man.

“ _Let’s have a good night_.”

In a huge flash of light from the roaring skies, the boys split into their teams on either side of the net.

The ball goes up to be served on the crack of thunder.

 

:.:.:.:.;

 

“Oh, no, _please,_ I am _so_ one hundred percent okay with you ruining my life, go ahead!” Suga screeches, diving for the belligerent little shit he calls a _‘friend’_ , knocking over his desk as he gets his hands on the notepad. Tanaka is stopped short by the firm grip and the surprising pull of strength as Suga tries to reclaim his book.

“Woah, Suga-senpai!” He lets go of the book with a loud laugh, expecting his elder to go flying back. In a shocking turn of events to the bald boy, Suga merely plants a foot behind himself and stands securely on both feet. “When did you get so strong?”

Suga whacks him in the stomach with the book and resets his desk.

“Do your homework, Tanaka, before I stuff it down your throat.”

“Uwaah! The papercuts! I’m sorry, Suga, I’ll do my work! I’ll try my best!”

Suga sighs and puts one earphone in, the calming track of rainstorm sounds soothing his nerves instantly. He blows a wisp of grey hair out of his eyes, evenly pinning it back into his bun with a willowy, firm touch- the same way he flips through his notes, cross checking his information with Tanaka’s answer sheets.

“Why did I ever agree to tutor you…”

Tanaka looks away from his pages and beams at Suga. When Suga’s unimpressed glare doesn’t work, he sighs and slams Tanaka’s face back down into the notebook.

“My nose is bleeding!” He cries against the pages.

“Do your work, idiot.”

 

:.:.:.:.;

 

“I’m telling you, I saw them!!”

“Daichi, you’re _so_ full of shit!” Noya cackles, his deafening laughter echoing through the hallways. The school sure had cleared out fast after the final bell. Afterschool club activities had been canceled as the school had some kind of scheduled staff conference, and not one student wanted to be in the buildings any longer than they had to.

“I did! I swear!” Daichi desperately tries to defend himself.

“No, what the fuck?!” The tiny boy continues to jeer at his captain, “You’re on drugs, Daichi! Don’t be stupid! This is too funny!” Between the two, Asahi rolls his eyes.

“Here it comes-”

“Asahi, you believe me, right?!” Pleads Daichi, turning on Asahi with fully loaded puppy-dog eyes, somehow mixing in his guilt-trip mode. “Tell me you do, come on! I saw them!”

“Ah, _gosh_ , Daichi, I dunno…” Asahi has to look away, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He hates picking sides, especially when Noya is involved. “To see them, like, for _real_ would be-”

“Impossible!” Noya explains, bumping into Asahi a tad too roughly, “Right?! _Right_?! They’re just a legend!”

“They’re not _just a legend_!” The captain crows with a ferocious passion, a little too over the top, definitely way out-of-character for Daichi. “They are _legendary_!!”

“Daichi,” Asahi sighs, “The Nightfighters _are_ legend. Who would… their names are all like night-related things, that’s not-”

“ _Obviously_ they’re not _real_ names!” Daichi sulks, kicking the door open and holding it for his two friends; times like these he wished he were more like Nishinoya, able to prattle on in that obnoxiously loud voice of his and overbear whoever else happened to be talking.

“Legend, I tell you!” The libero is yelling out into the bare schoolyard, subconsciously growing louder now that they’re out in the open. “The Miyagi Nightfighters is something the clubs in our area _fantasize_ about! Someone made it up, and now everyone believes this bullshit! It’s not like a group of volleyballers could get together from all over the prefecture whenever there’s a thunderstorm at night.”

“You’re- you’re thinking about this the wrong way, Noya!”

“No, I’m thinking about it the reasonable way!”

“ _Noya_!” And Daichi, damn it all, has resorted to whining. _Whining_ , of all things. How pathetic. “I _did_ see them!”

“Yeah, and what proof do you have?!”

There’s a long, sullen silence in which they walk through the school’s front entrance, autumn’s sun hanging heavy in the sky.

“Fine!” Daichi grumps, crossing his arms and definitely _not_ pouting. “ _Fine_ , I’ll just have to _prove it_ , then!”

“Great! Meatbuns are on you, until you can! Haha!” And with that, the short boy shoves Asahi onto his ass- he’s the only one who could keep up with the tiny boy, _have you seen those legs_ –and takes off down the hill towards their coach’s shop.

“Noya,” Daichi chases after the libero, leaving Asahi to stagger behind them, rubbing his sore behind, “That’s no fair! No fair! Apologise to your elders!”

“You’ll never take me alive!”

 

:.:.:.:.;

 

“Nice receive!”

_Surely, that setter will- oh- a back attack- no- what-_

“Yes!!”

“Nice kill, Tsukki!”

“Hell yeah, that felt so good! Nice one, Kage!! Great spike, Tsukki!”

“ _Kage_ …” _Kage…_ Daichi squints down at the little book he’d brought along, scribbling down the name on his list. _‘Kage.’ Shadow. They’ve been calling him the Shadow Setter. And he’s fucking incredible._ He looks back up as the game resumes with unnatural haste- a high-powered serve that’s received in an instant, bounced up high in the direction of the opposite setter to Kage. _Souske_ , Daichi reminds himself, _the Solid Setter_. Where his shorter- and younger –opponent is risky and unclear in his movements, Souske is a very predictable, versatile setter. The ball goes up and to the right in a tight arc, straight into the path of a spiker he’s come to know as Hoshi: a good, loud decoy and an incredibly powered spiker. The man jumps up and hits with a great yell. It reminds Daichi of Tanaka- only older, smarter, and more condensed. The ball is rebounded by an unusually tall libero, the Shadow Setter placidly stepping to get under it.

_He really is a shadow. The way he moves…_

If Souske’s tosses fall into a certain path for the spikers to move to, then the Shadow Setter’s tosses are calculated directly for the palm of the spiker. _A genius setter. What I would give to have one on our team. We’ve had no new players this year… Karasuno’s really in the dumps-_

_Oh, here he goes… they’re running-_

_Surely, he’ll use another combination with that crazy tall blocker, surely-_

The young setter bumps the ball up and forward a little bit, then ducks down and rolls a meter to the side as yet another unimaginably _tall_ spiker rushes up to slam the ball down.

“Awh, no fair!” From the other side of the net, Hoshi bitches and kicks at the muddy ground, “Yama’s too tall. You two first years are too much. Fuck you.”

The libero on his team goes over and pats him on the back.

“It’s okay, Hoshi, they’re tall but that’s all they got going for them.” He chuckles, “Oh, and separation anxiety. Can’t play against each other, can’t play without each other. Pathetic, right?”

The tall boy with goggles- the first year, the tall blonde who spiked before: ‘ _Tsukki_ ’, Daichi writes –makes a loud tongue click, and everyone starts cackling.

“Oh, no…” This light voice belongs to the Shadow Setter; gentle like sleet, calm wind chimes on a front porch out in the country, tinkling ice cubes in a cup on a hot day, “You’ve pissed him off, Kawa. You really do talk too much.” Nodding from his place in the bushes, Daichi scibbles down notes under the new title: ‘ _Kawa, Libero_ ’. _Damn right you do, fuck, he’s louder than Noya and far more infuriating with all those snide comments._ “I’ll be sure to send every ball to Tsukki, so keep an eye on him, _kay_ ~?” The tone sends shivers down Daichi’s spine. _How threatening. He plays with their psyche, too. Amazing._

An average-looking serve sails across the net, but in the dark Daichi couldn’t notice the spin on the ball until it began to veer away from the libero for the Shadow Setter’s team. This one’s a quiet man, exceptionally towering- not even for a libero, he’s actually _massive_ , it’s the slumping that makes him look standard. Despite the ball’s sudden turn, he dives for its direction, connecting and sending it up. Just when Daichi thinks it’s too far out from the side of the court, the Shadow Setter is _there_. No words, he just _appears_ under it and sends it bulleting across the length of the net. Goggles- _Tsukki_ –leaps up to hit the oddly high ball. In any ordinary game, the blockers on the other team would’ve stood no chance against the unexpected toss plus the height of the spiker.

One blocker shoves another in place just in time and the three players jump together- one sweeping his arms through the air, the other two completely barring any hope of a straight. Sweeper-hands catches the cross Tsukki hits and practically _slams_ it to the ground, out of the air in a single crack of light from the imperious black clouds above.

“Rin, you idiot!! Learn to read the play!” Kawa jeers at the elderly man, despite having just lost.

“Nice one, Kumo!!” Rin, the old man who had been pushed into place to complete the three-man block, ignores Kawa in favor of cheering the masked man on as he wriggles his fingers ponderously. On his other side, the youthful-faced blocker  _wearing earmuffs, of all things_ , is continuing to stare down Tsukki even though the play had ended. Daichi’s sure he’d look very threatening, if it weren’t for the _fucking earmuffs._ Headbands and mouth-covers and scarves and so on, Daichi can understand. But earmuffs?!

_Kumo. That’s a really suitable name for him… Fitting… but how does he see through that mask, I wonder?_

_‘Kumo. Blocker. Sweep block, full face mask. Quiet.’_ Daichi writes, followed by: _‘Rin, elderly man, blocker, friendly. Controlled into place, makes strong, solid blocks. Isn’t good at reading play [?]’_

“Thanks, Rin. Gekko, stop picking fights.”

Gekko moves away without a word, going back to the serving position, straight-faced as ever.

_For a guy wearing earmuffs to a volleyball game in the middle of night- in the middle of a thunderstorm –he’s very composed._

_‘Gekko’_ goes in to his notes next, _‘silent and menacing. Intense from the get-go, kind of in his own world. Doesn’t listen to team mates, acts more on instinct [?] Doesn’t react to thunder noises/join in cheers or arguments.’_

Earmuffs- _it’s Gekko_ , _stop being rude, Daichi_ –serves weakly, letting the ball hit the net and fall forward. Sora, as Daichi believes he’d heard earlier in the match, slides through the mud to get under it, the libero punching it up high enough for the Shadow Setter to push it-

 _A dump!?_ Hardly changing his demeanor or arm movements, the setter slaps the ball over the net.

“Kags!” Hoshi moans- none of the players on his team had bothered to jump for it. Sora grunts, high-fiving the setter as he walks back to the center of his side.

“That’s just rude.” Neko adds, heckling along with Hoshi. Kawa joins in, and everything spirals out of control, their conversation becoming a mess of insults and incoherent shouting in the same language as the thunder above.

Daichi blocks them out and writes more, his attention going back to the game when Souske manages to call them to order.

 

:.:.:.:.;

 

“You should have seen it, Asahi. It was… beyond words.”

“Wow. If only we had someone like that Shadow Setter on our-”

“Daichi-senpai, you looks so tired!” Noya teases in a sing-song voice, rustling Daichi’s hair and scattering his papers off of his desk in greeting. Asahi stammers something about respect and bows down to pick up the papers. “What’s wrong? Having to work so hard to pay for all the meat-buns?! Ahaha!”

“… As… um,” Asahi coughs uncertainly and looks up at the pair, even though it makes it challenging for him to collect Daichi’s homework, “I was saying, Daichi… Are you sure you don’t know any more about them? Those notes are pretty cool, but… What if some of them go here? Players like that would be invaluable-”

“Wait, you actually believe him!?” Noya shrieks, throwing himself at the giant Ace’s feet, blocking his way to Daichi’s worksheets. He whinges and hits Asahi’s shins weakly, “Azumane!! Traitor! Deserter! I thought you loved me and only me, how could you…” As Noya slumps, giving up the short-lived fight and breathing heavily, he gives Daichi a chance to talk to Asahi in peace.

“I know. I… they’re so secretive. All the videos I’ve got are too blurry to see forms and heights and faces, even though the players are usually wearing masks or something, but there are-”

“Ooh?” Noya sobs from the floor. “ _Ooh_!” He cries when Daichi drops his phone to the ground. Like a dog to a bone, Noya snatches it up and unlocks it, scrolling to the photo section.

“But there are two very tall kids who are first years, apparently.”

“Tsukki and… Yama, right?”

“Mhm. Maybe we should go scope out the rooms? Eh…” Daichi itches his arms to keep himself focused and _awake_ , eyes crossed in both thought and tiredness, “A few are university students, some old enough to be fathers. One guys is bald and wrinkly, it’s _just_ … _way_ out of my grasp. Ours, at least. And, it’s nothing like I’ve ever seen! On TV, in Olympics! They’re so- I want to say underhanded, but they’re not, they just read, and _read_ and then they _play_ and it’s like _wow_ , these guys are _so_ -! They have this thing they do, when they don’t have good light, where they don’t talk-”

“They don’t talk, yes, I told you I read your notes, Daichi.” Asahi mumbles along. The mention of notes prompts another interested sob from Noya. He holds the phone up, wavering it for Daichi to take and, when he does, Noya makes a grabby-hand motion. “Ah, now you believe him, Noya?”

“He has videos. I can’t argue. This is fucking cool.” Is Noya’s clipped reply. Despite not sounding too happy about it, the third years can tell he’s just as enthralled with the idea as Daichi is. Complying, Daichi takes the notepad full of scribbles about the Nightfighters and hands it over. Noya flips open the first page and giggles.

“Did you really need to write your whole name?”

“Yes!”

“And the exclamation marks?”

“Were necessary! Just- shut up and read it, Noya, or I swear I will _never_ record another Rolling Thunder montage for you ever again.”

“You’re so cruel…”

“You should really get someone to type that out for you, Daichi, your handwriting is terrible…” Asahi mumbles in that sad way he does as he lays on the floor to read over Noya’s shoulder, “Tanaka’s good at formatting, maybe you should get him to do it.”

“Hm, maybe… although, isn’t that a bit too far?”

“How many times have you checked the weekly weather forecast today?”

“… Nine…”

“I don’t think there’s much farther to go, dude.” Noya laughs, “Shit, but. I wanna fight this Sora guy, and that Kawa guy, and Neko, and Hoshi- I wanna fight ‘em all! Gah, this is so cool!! Can I come next time?!”

“Definitely not!”

 

:.:.:.:.;

 

“Sorry! Cover me!”

“Cover!”

“Oh, nice going, Neko-chan-”

“Don’t you start, mister Can’t-Block-For-Shit-”

“I’ll fucking fight you _and_ your family _and_ your dog, take- _that_!!”

Daichi’s eyes widen- he stops the recording and leans back against the wall, breathing out a whoosh of air. Thunder cracks and a few flashes of lightning brighten the clouds above.

_What a fucking spike. This guy is incredible._

_They all are. They’re all amazing._

“Yes! Nice one, Hoshi!!”

“Thanks, Kags! And oh-oh-oh, what _whaat_ was that, _pussycat_?”

“Well, you didn’t _block_ it-”

“Yes, but I _hit it-_ ”

A blaring gaze passes over him and locks on and it’s _too late,_ Daichi’s hairs are all standing up on end and he finds himself shaking under the sudden attention.

“I’ll hit _you,_ Hoshi _-_ ”

“ _Watcher!!_ ” Neko silences the bickering with one loud shout, the group shutting up any idle chatter and racing for the center of the court, looking all around wildly. It’s done in one big, rehearsed commotion, a practiced maneuver that’s aimed to protect… _what, exactly? What’s the harm in me watching_ \- “ _There_! Trees, Kage’s side!” The mob of players whirl to face Daichi. Eleven pairs of piercing eyes are focused on him, none of which nearly as friendly as the voices that had belonged to them moments ago. “Anyone know him?!” A round of resounding ‘no’s are screeched in varying degrees of anger, fright; there’s a grand flash of lightning that illuminates Daichi to them, well and clear.

“ _Scatter_!!”

They bolt in all different directions, leaping this way and that as a wave of thunder hurls itself, lending a hand to cover their tracks. However, in the madness of their escape, one of the black-clad forms stumbles on the wet grass and flips head-over-heels.

“Gh-guys-” The fallen boy gasps, flailing weakly before giving up, throwing a fist against his chest and struggling for breath. His muttered “Ah, fuck…” rings loudly as the final rolls of thunder clear.

“Are… are you okay?”

“I’m- only winded. Please…” He takes a painful breath, craning his neck to look Daichi square in the eyes- Daichi hadn’t realized that he was walking towards the fallen boy. “Just go away.” And this boy, this _boy_ has the most intense eyes Daichi thinks he’s ever seen. Possibly attributed to the left-over adrenaline of the game, like how Noya’s game instinct makes his pupils all blown, his arms always tensed and _ready_ ; possibly from panic, from the inability to breathe due to his injury. Daichi convinces himself that he’s totally _not_ a stalker, standing a few meters from the gasping boy and studying him. _Okay_ , it’s a _bit_ on the creepy side. But- the boy is staring right back. That makes it… mutual-creepy, right? Doesn’t that even it out? It’s _not_ weird.

Rain pours down harder, coming down in thick sheets of ice-cold drops, startling him out of his trance and the boy out of his _powerful_ stare. They’re on their feet and running for cover under a large tree, sore chests and out-of-breath-ness forgotten. Even being drenched was less appealing than sitting on the garden fence next to the person who’d just scared the shit out of him and all his friends, caused him to trip in haste and wind himself, _and_ caused his black hoodie to get soaked and muddied.

Daichi doesn’t know whether to be proud or scared. Then, sitting gingerly beside the black-clad boy, Daichi realizes.

_It’s the Shadow Setter._

_Fuck._ _Me._

“So- uhm…” His question is drained away into some indistinct garbling when those ocher eyes turn to him, furious, lit and streaked with silver in the floodlights as they flicker, the torrential rain poring through the rays.

“Why were you watching us?”

“Uh…” _Shit, he sounds pissed. Maybe I should just go home… This was so stupid, now they might not come out again. There’s a reason why most of them have covers over their faces, right? Oh, shit, I hope he didn’t see my notepad- oh, fuck, I probably look like such a huge creeper to this guy-_ “I wasn’t stalking you!” Daichi blurts, “I- well, not _you_ , specifically, and _not_ \- ah,” Between his fretting and the piling up nerves that shrill his voice, Daichi doesn’t realise that the setter is giggling at him. “No one on your team, you guys- are just- um…”

“Oh, wow, you’re _cute_.”

“I- I’m sorry?!” Daichi gapes at the boy, only prompting him to burst out into ridiculous laughter, far too loud for- and yes, Daichi does check his watch –half past two in the morning.

“Haha, don’t worry…” The setter tries to contain himself, putting a hand over where his mouth is uncovered by the facemask. His eyes, just visible in the dark shelter of the tree, are scrunched, almost closed, no where near as fiery as they were before. Despite the way his body shakes with laughter, his hands and fingers are concrete, not a trace of trembling. Daichi finds that he can’t look away from them. “I’m not mad at you, or whatever you were thinking just now- when your eyebrows got all scrunch-y and your mouth was moving a mile a minute. I think it’s adorable, how anxious you are. _Don’t_ _worry_ ~” Then, the boy leans in _close_ , Daichi’s breath fighting its way back into his lungs, hiding there, “I don’t bite.”

“Um!!” Is Daichi’s only comprehensible response. Other incomprehensible responses include: shallow breath, a few hitches every now and then, wide eyes straining to the point of tearing, tightening lungs and fists, and the swooping stomach that probably does nothing to help him breathe like a normal human being. He must have the flu or something- the way his temperature spikes yet he shivers. Thankfully, the boy leans away with more laughs. It’s more wind chimes, the singing of the first cicadas in the morning. Refreshing, high-powered fans on dead summer nights, a splash of water after hard practice sessions.

“You must play volleyball, too, huh? Otherwise how did you hear of us? Oh, and with thighs like that, _damn_.”

This boy is bad for Daichi’s health.

“I’m w-wearing sweat pants!!?”

“What position do you play, _hm_?”

“C-Captain-”

“That’s not a position!”

“It- where I’m from, it is, seriously, my team is a nightmare!”

“Hah, I guess. So, you’re an all-rounder, huh?” Daichi frowns, and the setter clucks at him. “Don’t think so lowly of me now that I’m off the court. If you’re being a ‘Captain’ to a rowdy team, chances are you have to be a good receiver- I know how spikers can get; I know how blockers can get. You’re probably average at spiking and blocking, but in keeping the rest in check, you need to focus on the whole. You’re too tall and… sorry, but _lumber-_ y to be any sort of libero. Therefore, your skill is your solid receive, to fill in all the holes- am I right?”

“Uh. _Yes_.”

More ringing laughter. This time, Daichi is drawn in, laughing with the mysterious boy.

“What year are you in? High school, yeah?”

“Yeah, I’m a third year.”

“Me too! No way!”

“Do you play for a team at your high school?”

“Nah… got all I want right here, to be honest… well, no. I _do_ want a team to play in, for competitions and stuff. But… this is so much more _fun_ , you know? It’d feel a bit like betrayal, I think.” He kicks his feet against the wall, “I really want to set for new people, though! People my age, too, that would be _really_ awesome!”

“You _are_ an amazing setter, truly.”

“Thanks! I like to think so, too. Kumo taught me a lot, but I had this… natural ability, I guess? That’s what he called it. And, like, _freak_ , too, I’m a little bit of a freak. It’s cool-”

“You’re a genius. A genius setter. It’s _terrifying_. I’d _kill_ to have you on my team!”

“ _Woah_!”

“Not- not _literally_. But- you are so good! And you just line people up, like _that_ ,” He makes a poor imitation at passing which the setter cackles at, causing Daichi to smile more, besides himself with exhilaration, “And it just _goes_ , like _woah_!!” He pauses, rubbing his hands together to banish the ache of the cold and the wet. “Heh. My team would never let me live it down, if they heard me talking like that…”

“Don’t worry, I’d protect your honor.”

“I’d be honored.” There’s a terse moment and a half where brown meets brown and the two highschoolers feel a spark of _something_ trail across their spines and through their ribcages. Then, they’re giggling once more.

 

The sun rises low over the mountains and its gold swirls on the glistening black of the tight fitted mask, but its like the moon's on fire and nothing could ever stop Daichi from opening up to the shadow-like boy with kind copper eyes. There’s a tiny wisp of grey hair that escapes the shelter of the hood, creeps down his temple, ignored easily by the two of them, deep in their volleyball philosophies-

**_Beerk-BeeERK-BEERRKKK-B-_ **

“Oh, shit! That’s my alarm!” Daichi fumbles for the phone in his pocket, “I forgot we had morning training, shit! _Shit_! I have to get to school, _fuck_ , I have to pack, I’m sorry, I _really_ have to go!”

“It's okay, it's okay! You can borrow my bike, if you want!” The setter jumps up and rushes to retrieve a tipped-over bike hidden in the bushes, wheeling it towards Daichi. “How far away are you?! What school!?”

“Karasuno!”

“ _Ah_. Um-! I-” But Daichi’s already on his way, leaving with a goodbye made up of various swears as he pedals up the hill. The setter pulls his hoodie down and rips his hair out of its bun, using that same hand to pull the facemask down around his neck; he shakes his hair out, allowing it to fall back down to its usual parted position. The cool wisps tickle his shoulders, but the goosebumps are already there, left over from when his and Mr. ‘totally-not-stalking-you-specifically-or-anyone-on-your-team-my-eyes-are-fucking-beautiful-and-I’m-fucking-adorable’s fingertips brushed on the handles of the bike. His hand remains at his neck, fingers caught up in the mask’s fabric, and they start a slight tremble as they scrape, shivering against a pulse point on the underside of his chin. “Ah, _fuck_. I’m fucked.”

 

:.:.:.:.;

 

Daichi slams his head on the surface of his desk a few more times, just for good measure.

“ _Nope_.” He answers the question Asahi had asked a minute or two ago, him and Noya still perched on the edges of their seats, waiting anxiously for the answer: “Not a dream. I talked to him.”

“Wow, Daichi, and you really _do_ look beat.” Noya chirps, rapping his fingers on the back of Daichi’s chair. He’d given up on consoling the Captain with a back rub as the older boy tried to decided whether or not he’d dreamt up his entire interaction with the silver haired setter from the _fucking Miyagi Nightfighters_ \- _is this real life?_ Daichi thinks to himself, _or am I going insane? Do I want a boyfriend that badly that I…_ “Did you stay up all night with him, then? Eh? _Eh_?”

“Yes.” The Captain grunts- the innuendo behind Noya’s words completely bypassing his notice -banging his head down again to banish his tiredness, to banish the tan eyes and grey, soft-looking hair, and- _damnit, stop, I’m just tired. I’m just tired…_

A raucous and light laughter, gentled by the walls dividing them, finds its way down the corridor, into the classroom, and goes straight to Daichi’s head.

“Ahaha~ _Ryuu_ , stop that!!”

Daichi _immediately_ perks up at that laugh; sitting up straight in his chair so fast he squishes Noya’s hand against the back of it.

“Daichi?!” Asahi exclaims in fright, throwing his hands up to protect his face.

“Daichi- _ow_ \- ow!!!” Noya kicks at the older boy’s feet, unable to move them. They’re planted so strongly into the floor, as though he’s about to receive one of Asahi’s serves. “Get- g _uh-_ ”

Daichi is out of his seat, sending it flying back with Noya’s pulling weight, and he’s _running_. He is sprinting faster than he thinks he’s ever gone, and _maybe_ it’s just the lethargy of staying up all night watching a heated and high-paced plays of volleyball talking, but that’s _insignificant right now_ , because he’s skidding through the doorway of a classroom- tutoring, given the paired-up setup –and he’s panting and heads turn to stare bewildered at the weirdo volleyball Captain struggling to breathe in the doorway and _there_. There, up in the very back corner, is that kingly surge of silver-soft regard, an iron cage over the purest of terrific monsters.

The boy from the Nightfighters.

…

Sitting next to _Tanaka_.

Tanaka, as in _his_ Tanaka, _Tanaka, Wing Spiker of the Karasuno Men's Volleyball Team, currently Captained by He, Daichi Sawamura_ Tanaka.

"Excuse me."

The silver-haired boy’s voice is as pert and dainty as it was at sunrise; he gets up and strides right past Daichi, whose jaw is practically dislocated by this point. Tanaka looks at him, looks at the empty seat, shrugs, and goes back to scribbling in his notebook.

“As expected. You didn’t read my drafts, Daichi.” The second year utters to thin air, snatching Suga’s notes to change his incorrect answer.

 

Asahi and Noya round the corner, tumbling to a halt at Suga, who’s storming by, calling: “We’ll talk about this outside, come o- _oh,_ hey, Asahi,” he never once changes his tone from that irritably casual and slightly cocky one, “Got those lab results yet, or are you still being a negative goatee about it?”

Daichi glares as Asahi. The man-mountain rubs the back of his head nervously.

“ _No. way._ ”

 

Noya gets detention for disturbing class with his stupid laugh, Asahi takes the fall as well, gets called an ‘accomplice’ and nearly has a heart attack because “I’ve never gotten a detention before, what if I die?! You have to protect me, Noya!”, “It’s okay, baby, you’re safe with me-”, “Both of you back to class now! Azumane, stop shouting!!”, “Forgive me, sensei!!!!”, and Suga smoothly saves himself and Daichi from the same fate by smacking Daichi on the face mid-make out against the gymnasium wall, telling the passing teacher that “There was a spider, I was helping him get it out of his hair…”

 

“At least it all worked out, in the end,” Suga chirps, leading Daichi back to the classroom where Tanaka is most likely cheating his homework by copying Suga’s notes; he can feel it, a sixth sense of _dishonor_. Or maybe it’s just that he knows Tanaka’s nature.

“Say that to my face…” Daichi grumbles, rubbing the bruise forming on his forehead, “You sure you’re not a spiker?”

Suga gasps, horrified.

“I. Am. _Offended_.” Then, he smirks. “As Karasuno’s _official_ _setter_ , I expect a certain level of respect from you, _Captain_.”

Daichi’s heart thumps loud enough to block out the pain, his smile big and giddy enough to make Suga giggle. Then, as he goes to talk, all that comes out is an humiliating crack, a squeak squeezed out of his constricted throat, and Suga loses it, cackling, gripping Daichi’s shoulder to stop himself from falling.

Daichi can’t even flush from embarrassment, exhilaration; all his blood is flowing too quickly, too hyped up from every possibility that the decision brought him- will bring him, in the months to come.

 

:.:.:.:.;

 

**NIGHTFIGHTER NOTES !!!!!! BY SAWAMURA DAICHI [translated by tanaka ryuunosuke, printed by tanaka ryuunosuke, distributed by tanaka ryuunosuke]**

**[ur god is tanaka ryuunosuke]**

[Tanaka youre such a pest Daichi is gonna kill u- Suga]

**[Dadchi getting madchi amirite !!!!!!]**

[how did u even come up with that?!?!- Suga]

.. RULES ?!

  * Games have barebone rules, court ruled by chalk or spray paint and ‘out’s are given benefit of doubt. From where I watch, they’re always honest and see no reason in cheating. 
    * ^ They rarely keep track of scores anyway, so it doesn’t really matter [other than which team is serving, which usually changes regardless of the scorer]
  * Anyone in the front can set; there is no middle line but the liberos are good at staying behind it and do sometimes set to others from the line
  * No rotations- they often forget to rotate players, the libero will remain in the back anyways and switch places to avoid going forward [and they sometimes serve ?]
  * Location changes effect rules: some closed-in spaces allow for wall-rebounds, underpasses allow roof-rebounds, mud provides some kind of mud-slinging rule [not to sure about, have only seen once, must be a tradition], flooded areas allow splashes to confuse opponents, low light warrants silent matches [no talking ?! terrifyingly awesome to watch], etc. **[WE SHOULD TRY THAT !!!]** [Tanaka, no- Suga]
  * All wear black, nondescript black hoodies and shorts with a variety of identity masking outfits. 
    * ^ Earmuffs doesn’t wear a hood. He’s probably too cool for that [this guy, I swear]



PLAYERS:

 **Kage** [shadow] Setter- face mask, leaves mouth and eyes free, hair is pulled back into a bun and hidden by hood [fell back once, hair looks yellow/blonde ?]. young-sounding, referred to as ‘baby’ or ‘newbie of group. Could be a highschooler as well as a new addition to their group ? **[lmao … Daichi. my son , my dude , my bro … come to tutoring next friday arvo , fuc k]**

Unpredictable, reckless but naturally talented and more than skilled enough to pull off bold and dangerous tosses, always dangerous no matter where he is on the court. Definitely a genius of some sort

 **Souske** [solid] Setter- middle-aged, doesn’t hide face/sees no reason to. Black hair. Big smile, like a dad. Acts like a dad. Probably a dad.

A solid pinpoint for the team, peaceful attack, not big on trying new things- leaves it to spikers [leader of group ?]

 **Hoshi** [star] Spiker/Blocker- also dad-ish, wears a low-hanging hood that doesn’t move no matter what he does [glued in place ? wouldn’t be surprised], cocky and overbearing and condescending. ugh. Definitely a dad.

A greatly powered spiker, very good and loud decoy, … constant chatter between him and the short libero, whether they’re on the same side of the net or not !! **[I think ive seen this guy around … might run the bar probably ? wait forget that aha im young and small and innocent [DONT TELL COACH]]**

 **Neko** [cat]- Spiker/Blocker- black knitted scarf tied around neck and positioned to cover his mouth. Young, likely a uni student as he talks about exams with Kawa a lot

True to name, speed, flexibility, and reading of play as well as player connections are unmatched. High powered spiker once he gets going, well-rounded blocker, talks back too much and is sometimes all bark and no bite- fumbles a lot, brings up team morale of both sides

 **Kumo** [cloud]- Blocker/Spiker- full-face mask, often pulls it up to breathe better. Apparently the fabric over his eyes is veil and not thick like the rest of it. you’d hope, as a spiker. Unless he’s on Kage’s team. Then he just has to worry about not coathangering himself on the net or running into a pole or a tree or something. Where was i? another dad-like one, but. acts pretty badass when he’s on a roll.

Sweeping blocks are a signature move, fast and reinforced blocks that both slam back and disallow for once-touch/any allowance of the ball to go over the net. The ability to slam the ball back down to the floor make his blocks hard to get a rebound from and he is often avoided by spikers, therefore used to funnel the opponent. Clever and fast. Fairly quiet, when he speaks he’s gruff and often criticizing- shortness of breath + rasp = smoker? The way he speaks and gives advice makes him seem like a coach. **[dude how is this NOT ukai seriously u r so fukin dense !?!?!?!??]**

 **Rin** [Shinrin] Blocker/Spiker- no cover on face, balding and old-ish, many wrinkles. Pushes his hood off a lot to wipe his sweat away. Definitely elderly.

Amazing blocker, average spiker in terms of power but has almost unmatched ball control, very good at blocks when they’re controlled by someone else, not so good at reading the play but his power and jump more than make up for it

 **Tsukki** [moon] Blocker/Spiker- goggles and a mask that covers from the bottom of his glasses to his neck, tucked in to shirt. Short blonde hair. Tall. T a l l ! and sassy. Definitely a young kid, has been identified as a ‘first year’ by Hoshi. Maybe the two huge guys are both first years ? at the same school ?

A huge, thin attacker, but an incredible blocker !! so tall [connection w Yama ? outside group] seems uninterested but is amazingly fast and impossible dynamic with Yama- seen him set to Yama after a serve, and shit ! shit ! incredible awareness and connection to one another, and he watches the important parts of the play so well/focuses despite appearance **[daichi , my dude my bro . its that tsukishima guy . my sis says his bro was on the volleyball team he is such a bitch tho he glared at me for like five minutes straight the other day when I cut him off in the hall like he is re d i c ]**

 **Gekko** [moonlight] Blocker/Spiker- young, maybe twenty or so, wears a set of ear muffs. Can’t imagine why…

Super effective blocker in both reading and stability, impressive spike power and ball control, a terrifying force from the very first play, stoic, uses very in-your-face plays [petty ?]. Doesn’t talk much, very serious-looking. Can’t tell if he likes playing or not, but he’s undeniably talented.

Never responds to thunder, hardly responds to calls/words of his teammates.

What is his secret…

 **Yama** [… ? must be actual name] Pinch Server/Spiker- full-face cover with eyeholes. Very quiet, hardly noticeable until he’s serving or coming down from a spike. Tall !!!! and young, too, called a ‘growing boy’, ‘baby bird’.

Pinch serves are unlike any I’ve ever seen, relies heavily on Tsukki’s presence to be good [always on the same team, again, connection beyond group ?] spiking power is generally strong, as is his ball control. If he gets riled up, his spikes become incredibly powerful [and when tossed to by Tsukki, they’re unspottable until the last moment. In awe of the dynamic between these two] **[tsukishima’s bitch/mum/boyfriend , basically , and oh theyre so co-dependent its kinda disgusting but also real cute af . tsukishima is still a dick tho]**

 **Kawa** [river] Libero- short and angry. Wears headbands. Uni student; complains about homework/assignments/workloads a lot.

Tiny and fluid, always changing but never-ending- never-ending chatter from this guy, is worse than Noya and more annoying in that he makes passes at both his opponents and his team mates; never wanted to punch someone more

 **Sora** [sky] Libero- mouth-mask and a thick headband/bandana. Middle-aged ? hard to tell because he never fucking talks

Super tall and fast, slumps too much, doesn’t talk much. Rarely misses a ball- contacts it at least once every play, whether it stays in or not. **[noya really wants to fight this guy… suga ? contact ?]**

[over my dead body, sora is precious and must be protected at all costs- Suga]

**[ur no fun]**

[don’t be a shit- Suga]

**[lmao]**

 

[.. Tanaka this is the last time I ever let you near my things. -Daichi]

**[bro ur a dense shit accept it and go fuk ur bf- tanaka ryuunosuke]**

[LEAVE ME ALONE FOREVER PLEASE]

 

:.:.:.:.;

 

\- A.A.

**Author's Note:**

> That ‘dadchi getting madchi’ thing is fROM NATIONAL HOT DAD ALLIANCE READ IT AAAAA IT IS THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD TO EVER EXIST !!!! like just look at the tags and tell me it’s not true perfection: http://archiveofourown.org/works/5663683?view_full_work=true <3 ushijima in it is just super duper precious lil innocent bean bun baby aaaa+++++++++ and it’s sO GAY . IT IS SO GAY . I LOVE IT ….  
> Anyway im in volleyball hell rn so if u have a prompt please please please lemme know !! I want to write more haikyuu stuffffffff aaa


End file.
